Asuka x Tomoko
by Yuuki F
Summary: Straightforward Asuka x Tomoko
1. Preface & TOC

Preface

This story feels like building a bridge underneath my own feet. I'm not sure if I'm really done, of my level of satisfaction with it so far, or whether its direction was a good one. I intended a quick, embarrassing one-shot, but once I pressed 'publish' on the first piece, then it seemed like there was more that just came out of somewhere. These are all points I probably should not be opening up with in a preface.

I tried to have a theme of exploring that feeling of "choosing a path between that sense of reservation that comes with following the expectations of others, and remaining true to yourself." Or to put it more succinctly, "Conformity versus honesty." I feel like Asuka and Tomoko are both characters suited to that theme, but in completely different aspects. Asuka to me seems to be a character that wants to be more 'genuine.' As in she has been so normalized by society to such an extent that she feels she's lost what she even wants, has destroyed her true self in the process, and what attracts her to Tomoko and her group is that she sees Tomoko as some sort of return to an acceptance of her inner self. Tomoko acts as an interesting foil in that despite her attempts to conform, she has still maintained a 'true self.' In other words, Asuka tried to conform, succeeded and does conform, but wants to be honest; but Tomoko tried to conform, failed and is honest, but wants to conform. They both have a critical component of not only their personalities that are opposite, but also of their desires. Either that, or I'm misreading Tomoko's character because she's a completely nervous trainwreck when Asuka comes within 10 feet of her in a lot of the latest chapters I've been reading. Which is probably the more important aspect when you're really just trying to make a ship sail.

I apologize, that was a very pretentious way of saying that I just really, really, really want more Asuka x Tomoko. I'm finding a difficult time finding more fanfics of this pairing in general, and the best way to increase that pile is to just straight-up make one. Please enjoy.

**Setup Arc**

Chapter 1: Preface & TOC

What you're reading now.

Chapter 2: Tomoko's Honesty

Asuka invites Tomoko.

Chapter 3: Tomoko's Self

Tomoko comes to a realization.

Chapter 4: Asuka's Self

Tomoko does something embarrassing (no big surprise there).

Chapter 5: Asuka's Honesty

Asuka does something embarrassing.

**Fluff**

Chapter 6: Because Chapter 155 Wouldn't Do It, I Will

Fan-service to those who read chapter 155.


	2. Tomoko's Honesty

Tomoko got out her lunch, was just about ready to start her daily routine, but just before should could start Asuka came over to her desk.

"Kuroki-san, there was something I wanted to tell you the other day, but couldn't because that other girl was with you. Could I ask you something?"

Tomoko nodded, "Uh, sure."

She was about to sit down until she saw that Asuka was headed into the hall, realized to her surprise that this was a 'private' matter, and excused herself to follow her. In fact, she took Tomoko on quite a winding path before they eventually stopped near a bench in a deserted stretch of hallway. After Asuka sat down, she looked up at Tomoko with the same gaze she always did.

_What is this all about?_

Asuka patting the seat next to her, and, out of instinct, Tomoko sat on the far edge edge of the bench away from Asuka.

She paused, "You can sit a little closer, you know."

"Ah, sorry," she inched a little bit closer.

But from Asuka's point of view, she hardly moved at all, "Tomoko, do I make you uncomfortable?"

"Ah, sorry," Tomoko significantly closed the distance between them this time.

_With a question like that, and lead-up like this, I must have upset her somehow._

Asuka repeated her question more bluntly, "Tomoko, do you not like me?"

Tomoko turned her head to look at Asuka's shoes, but she couldn't find the courage to move her eyes further up.

"Ah, well, i-i-it's not that, it's just I feel like I'm in a really expensive museum when I'm with you."

"Being with me makes you feel like that?"

"No, that's not-"

She sighed, _Oh screw it, I can at least see if I can try to get a rise out of her like I do with Nemo._

"Katou-san, I just feel like you're out of my league. I mean, you're at least a nine or possibly even a ten on the hotness scale."

Asuka turned her body slightly to look over at Tomoko. Tomoko could feel her gaze and started to get even more nervous.

"Really?"

Tomoko nodded.

"So, you think I'm 'hot?'"

Tomoko didn't even hesitate for a second, "Oh hell yes."

There was a long pause. _Crap, I wasn't thinking when I said th-_

Asuka sidled closed to Tomoko, pressing her side against Tomoko, "Are you nervous right now?"

"Ah, well, uh, yeah."

Asuka gently placed her fingers underneath Tomoko's chin, forcing her to look up at her face.

Tomoko's heart started pounding, but all her brain could think when she looked at her face was, _Wh...wh...whoaaaaa._

She held Tomoko's face in place as she stared at her.

"Kuroki, your face is turning red, are you alright?"

Tomoko's mouth was apparently on autopilot, "Well yeah, you're beautiful."

Tomoko saw a rare smile from Asuka, "Is that so?"

Tomoko suddenly felt like she wasn't breathing, _WHAT'S GOING ONNNNNNNNNNNNNN._

Asuka leaned her face in closer as Tomoko pushed herself back into the wall, "Y-yeah."

Asuka stopped at the last moment, "You know, Kuroki-san, I don't think you're that bad looking yourself."

Tomoko's body felt like it had frozen up, _NOWAYNOWAYNOWAY_

"Is," Tomoko throat and mouth was completely dry as she could barely speak, "Is that so?"

She continued to hold with a face that remained in some Buddha-like state of stoicism, "Will you wait for me after classes today?"

Tomoko didn't even think, "Yes."

And as if nothing had happened, Asuka got up, smiled with her perfect, unreadable, poker face, and returned back to class.

Tomoko felt as if her back was glued to the wall behind her, _What happened?_

She spent a couple minutes just trying to get her physiological functioning to go back to normal, before she suddenly stopped and looked up, _Wait, is Katou-san a lesbian like me?_

She pondered this for a moment, raking her memory for any hints or signs; and then she blinked, catching what she just thought, and bringing her hands up to cradle her head, _Whoawhoawhoa, wait, "like me?"_


	3. Tomoko's Self

After classes, Tomoko quickly found Asuka, and incidentally the gawdy group around her. All of them were bright and dazzling to her eyes. So much so, that she felt she couldn't really enter, and so she relegated herself to waiting outside their circle. Besides, they were talking to each other, so she didn't want to interrupt. But since Asuka said to meet her after school, this left Tomoko to just sort of stand off to the side, making herself seem like she was watching them, when she really was just waiting her turn.

"Yeah, so the exam on Thursday..."

_I couldn't even interrupt them if I wanted. They never seem to stop talking._

She noticed that she was standing in the middle of the hallway.

_Oh, I guess I should move to the side and wait instead._

She moved to the wall, but when she did, her view was occluded by a pillar.

_Crap, now I can't hear them to see if I can ask Asuka if she wants to go yet._

She stood aside from the pillar just enough so she could see Asuka.

_There we go._

After some time, someone noticed that Tomoko was creepily gazing at the group while poorly hiding herself behind a pillar in the hallway.

One girl from the group pointed and whispered, "What is that girl doing?"

_Oh no, now they're all looking at me._

Out of instinct, Tomoko hid behind the pillar.

She could hear Asuka's voice, "Kuroki-san, is that you?"

Tomoko remained hidden behind the pillar, "...Yeah."

"Why is she hiding behind the pillar?"

"Was she just staring at us the whole time?"

Asuka came over and peered around the pillar, "Were you watching us?"

Tomoko flashed Asuka her nervous tick of a grin, "You were talking to each other, and I didn't want to interrupt."

Asuka immediately gave an understanding nod, "I get it. Shall we go?"

_MOOOOOOOOOOOM, THANK YOU, YOU'RE THE BEST,_ Tomoko nodded, and the two headed out.

Asuka led Tomoko through the school entrance. The entire walk left Tomoko in just as much suspense as she had felt earlier today at lunch.

"So, uh, where are we going?"

Asuka smiled, "Oh, I just wanted to go home with you. Was there somewhere you wanted to go?"

Tomoko shook her head, "Oh, no, I usually head straight home."

"I see."

Asuka looked to her side a little bit, "Actually, there were some other things I wanted to ask you."

"After what you said earlier, I was wondering if that was **all** you had to say about what you thought about me."

Tomoko's brain took a while to process Asuka's intent.

"You, you mean you weren't creeped out?"

"No, not at all," Asuka gave Tomoko a heavenly glance, "It's O.K., like you too, Kuroki-san."

An ancient gear in Tomoko's hear came to life, "Whoa, that can't, I mean...wait, Katou-san, do you swing, er, do you, you mean you like girls?"

"Well, isn't everyone you hang around with that way? Between you and me, that was kind of why I wanted to hang out with your group to begin with."

"Oh."

The two walked in silence for some time, "Wait, really?!"

The gear started to move, "Like Nemo?"

"She still likes you, even after the slapping incident."

The gear made its first revolution in Tomoko's head, "Yuri?"

"The way you two hang out so close to each other made me think you two were secretly going out originally."

The gear made another revolution in Tomoko's head, and it was starting to build up speed.

"...and emoji?"

"Emoji?"

"Ucchi."

"She was leering at you the entire time we visited that college together and you kept looking back at her too."

And with the third turning of the final gear, THE PROPHECY THAT WAS FORETOLD FELL INTO PLACE. TOMOKO WITNESSED AS THE HEAVENS ABOVE OPENED UP, THE COSMOS, NAY, THE INFINITE SPRAWL OF THE UNIVERSE ITSELF FURLED BEFORE HER. SHE SAW AND UNDERSTOOD IT ALL AT ONCE. THE VIBRATIONS OF THE ATOMS, THE FUSION OF HEAVY METALS FROM THE SUNS OF BILLIONS OF YEARS AGO, THE FUNDAMENTAL FORCES OF NATURE, THE ELECTROWEAK UNIFICATION, THE DOUBLE HELIX STRUCTURE OF DNA, THE EVOLUTION OF MAN, THE RISE AND FALL OF CIVILIZATION, GODEL'S INCOMPLETENESS THEOREM, THE PARTICLE-WAVE DUALITY OF LIGHT, THE COMPLEX ECOLOGICAL INTERACTION BETWEEN BIRDS AND HIVE-DWELLING INSECTS WITH YELLOW AND BLACK STRIPES, THE MEANING OF THE MONA LISA, THE ELEMENTS IN THEIR PUREST FORMS, THE EMERGENT PROPERTIES OF NATURE THAT BROUGHT FORTH THE PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF CONSCIOUSNESS, THE GENETIC SOUP FROM WHENCE LIFE ORIGINATED, **ALL OF IT WAS CONNECTED! SHE UNDERSTOOD NOW! SHE UNDERSTOOD HER EXACT POSITION IN IT ALL, HER REASON D'ETRE. ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING IN THIS UNIVERSE CAME TOGETHER JUST FOR THIS ONE MOMENT, THIS ONE MOMENT OF CLARITY. AS SHE STARED ABOVE, INTO THAT ENDLESS EXPANSE OF SKY, SHE NOTED, _MY GOD IT'S FULL OF STA-**

Asuka waved her hand in front of Tomoko's face, "Kuroki-san?"

She snapped back, "Oh."

"Are you alright?"

"I think I just realized I might be gay."

"Hm," after a moments pause, Asuka continued, completely ignoring Tomoko's obvious observation, "You know, it actually starting off with me trying to force myself to try to stick around you more."

Tomoko tilted her head before replying with an incredulous voice, "_Why_?"

"Because I felt like everyone else I am with keeps putting on airs, and in that process of trying to be so perfect they've lost who they are, then I got sucked in with that, and being constantly around those kind of people acting in that kind of way made me lose sense of who I am."

"Katou-san," Tomoko stopped.

"I just as much want to be perfect as them. I think you're mistaking my embarrassment and a lack of social awareness with honesty."

Asuka smiled, "What an honest thing to say."

Tomoko blinked, and gave a pondering glance down and to her right.

She didn't quite know how to reply to that.


	4. Asuka's Self

"Hey, Kuroki-san, are you ready to go?"

Tomoko looked up from packing her stuff, "Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess."

"You don't mind if I walk with you like we did yesterday, right?"

Tomoko finished packing, "Uh, no, that's fine."

She walked nonchalantly beside Asuka all the way to the entrance. At the entrance, Asuka gave a smile to her.

Tomoko looked over, "What is it?"

"You just seem a lot less anxious today."

"Oh," Tomoko paused, "Yeah, I guess so."

Tomoko thought back to how nervous she was around Asuka before, _Well, it's kind of hard to be anxious around someone who already knows very personal stuff about you._

"Yesterday you weren't anxious because you actually had plans with Nemo or someone else, right?"

Tomoko shook her head, "No, that wasn't it. I was more the one thinking I was imposing on you."

"Imposing on me?"

"Well, you had a bunch of other people you were hanging around with the other day, and it kind of felt like I was pulling you away from them."

Asuka looked off into the distance a bit, "That's o.k., there was nothing we were really doing anyways."

They continued walking in silence for a few moments more.

"Why don't you want to hang out with them instead?"

"I almost feel like I need a break. You're much more refreshing to be around, Kuroki-san."

"Ah, normie-drama?"

"What was that?"

"Er, you don't like how they act?"

"Maybe it's something like that."

"It's just they seem to be," Tomoko paused for a way to put this tactfully before being unable to and giving up, "You seem to fit in with them better."

"That so? Sometimes it doesn't feel that way."

"Oh, I see."

Tomoko stared off into the distance, _I can definitely understand getting sick of people, if that's what she means, but I doubt a normie like her would ever feel that way._

Asuka continued, "I just get so sick of people around me being so reserved, and you're the only one around me that doesn't seem reserved at all, so it makes me want to hear more from you, Kuroki-san. I want the people around me to be a little bit more confident in themselves, because that's the only way that they can be honest."

Tomoko blinked, "I'm really not sure I would call myself confident."

"I could never say some of the things you say around others."

_Is she trying to say that she likes my dirty jokes?_

They walked in silence a bit more.

"I think it's more that at some point you fail so much at trying to be like others that you get so demoralized that you give up trying to figure out what's the right thing to say."

Tomoko shrugged before adding with a bit a nervous laughter, "And now I make dirty jokes around my friends."

Asuka wasn't really listening, "It just surprises me how people can be so confident about some things and not about other things."

"Other things, like wha-," Tomoko paused on those words. Slowly, she think she got what Asuka was really talking about. She turned around to look at Asuka.

Her face was close, and out of embarrassment, Tomoko reflexively looked away.

"You're right, I get it."

Asuka leaned in to look at Tomoko's face, "What's wrong?"

"Katou-san, if this isn't what you meant, forgive me."

Tomoko's heart was beating out of her chest, _Just do it quickly, at least!_

Tomoko quickly turned around to face her, lightly held Asuka's face with her hands, and paused for a brief moment.

_Come on, breath._

And kissed her.

The two paused in place for a while, before Tomoko's mind rebooted first. She quickly got up and looked away again.

"That, uh, I'm guessing that was what you were going for."

Asuka was still frozen in place.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Tomoko looked around nervously as Asuka was still frozen in place, "Ah, uhm, so yeah, I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

She briskly walked away, and broke off at the corner towards her home.

Several minutes later, Asuka's eyes began to undilate and her consciousness returned.

She shook her head, _Oh Tomoko, you didn't have to do that. I wasn't talking about you not having enough confidence to be more honest with me._

_I was talking about __**me**__ not having more confidence in being more honest with __**you**__._


	5. Asuka's Honesty

The next day, Asuka came to class prepared to respond to Tomoko, but when she entered, she didn't see Tomoko there.

She walked over to Yuri's desk instead, "Have you seen Tomoko?"

Yuri lazily looked up, "Yes, she walked out just before you came in."

_She's avoiding me._

"I see, thank you," Asuka went out into the hallway in a vain attempt to try to get to her before classes started. She wanted closure as quickly as possible.

Asuka calmly surveyed the hallways, _She'll have to come to the classroom before the bell rings, so she won't be far away._

She started haphazardly roaming the hallways near the classroom. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a certain girl with a long skirt.

Without hesitation, Asuka cried out, "Tomoko! Stop!"

Tomoko didn't know whether she stopped because Asuka actually raised her voice, or because that was the first time she ever heard her call her by her first name. She turned to face Asuka with her head down.

"A..asu..K-k-katou-san, about the other day, I didn't mean to, I thought...I thought that was," Tomoko froze up.

"You left before I could even respond."

Tomoko thought back to yesterday. She was so flustered that she hadn't even realized that that was the case.

"Ah, s-sorry."

"Yesterday, I wasn't trying to say that I wanted you to be more confident with me."

Tomoko gave a forlorn look, and peered off to the side, "Oh, then I was wrong, s-s-s-so then you didn't want-"

"Come here," Asuka grabbed Tomoko's hand leading her around the corner of the hallway, placing Tomoko against the wall.

Tomoko looked around hesitantly, "U-u-uhm, maybe I should-"

Asuka shook her head, "No, you were right. I was asking you to come with me after you said you had liked me. Tomoko, I couldn't be happier."

Tomoko looked up at Asuka, "A-asuka."

For once, Asuka felt like her throat was choking up, "You told me something with complete and utter honesty, so I feel I have to do the same. So, don't run away. Let me do this for myself. You have never lost who you were. You might look at your past and think that it is the failure of a result to be what others have expected you to be, but I look at you and see this resilient flower that never lost herself."

Tomoko was not expecting this, _What in the world does this have to do with what happened yesterday?_

"Fine, you might be an embarrassing wreck-"

"Uh-"

"But unlike others, you never lost yourself. Maybe it's because you're so stupid-"

"Uhm-"

"But that doesn't change the fact that despite it all, you never lost sight of your gross-"

"Hey-"

"Self," Asuka paused, "But I did lose sight of it, I don't know who am I or what I really want anymore. But I do know that when I'm around you I feel like I've never been more in touch with myself than ever before. And it's out of a desire to remain true to myself that I want to make sure I say this to you and answer your feelings directly."

"Here? In the middle of the hallway?"

Realization of where she was dawned on Tomoko at just the wrong moment, _Did we really just say all that embarrassing stuff here?!_

Asuka embraced Tomoko, "I love you too, Tomoko. Thank you for helping me find myself again."

Tomoko slowly and awkwardly returned the embrace.

Asuka held tightly for a long time.

Tomoko broke the silence, "Are...are we going out now?"

"Yes."

Asuka released Tomoko.

"So that means we can kiss and...stuff, right?"

Asuka smiled, "Is that all?"


	6. Because Chapter 155 Wouldn't Do It

"Tomoko."

Yuri peaked into Tomoko's face, and repeated, "Tomoko."

Tomoko popped up, "Ah, uh, what's up?"

"You've been out of it all day."

Nemoto noted, "Yeah, you aren't like your usual disgusting self."

Tomoko thought, _That's because I realized I get to sexually harrass Asuka all to myself, and I've been waiting the entire day to do so._

"Are you alright?"

Tomoko looked over at Nemo with a vigorous look in her eyes, "YES."

Nemo and Yuri were taken aback, staring at Tomoko for a bit.

_Crap, my inner thoughts are coming dangerously close to leaking out._

"I, uh, I mean, there's some...thing...that's come...out...recently and I've been waiting the entire day to play with it."

Tomoko noted how if 'out' was interpreted in a different way, that she wasn't lying.

"Ah, what series is it?"

"Huh?"

"We're not talking about anime or games?"

Tomoko looked over at Nemo, "Oh, right."

"So, what is it?"

"Well," Tomoko paused, she wasn't even able to think of a good lie, "It's even embarrassing for me to say."

Nemoto gave Tomoko a flat look, "It's hentai."

Yuri nodded and replied with Nemoto in sync, "It's hentai."

"Eheheheh, in a way," Tomoko gave a grin.

Nemoto shook her head, "God, you're gross."

"Excuse me."

The three looked up to see that Asuka had stopped by their desks, "Did you want to head out now, Tomoko?"

Tomoko suddenly noticed Asuka, grabbed her bag, and started heading out with Asuka, "Ah, yes."

As they walked out, Yuri noted, "She called her 'Tomoko?'"

"I thought she said that was waiting for some series the whole day," Nemoto looked out of the door where Asuka and Tomoko had walked out, "She isn't going to watch something like that with," Nemoto pointed out the door, giving a curious look to Yuri, "Asuka, right?"

Yuri grabbed her bags, "Come on, we're following them."

Nemoto followed suit, "Right."

They hurried to the door, catching them just before they turned the corner down the hallway, and continued to stalk far behind them.

Nemoto whispered to Yuri, "They're being awfully close to each other."

Yuri didn't look back at Nemoto, but only gave a curt, ominous glare towards her target.

Nemoto went quiet, swallowed, and continued stalking alongside Yuri. After a lot of winding turns, eventually, they came upon a very isolated area behind the school.

Nemoto whispered, "What are they doing out here?"

Yuri's glare had only become more intense and ominous.

Tomoko was giving a very shy look to Asuka, as they could see her beckon Asuka to sit down. As she did so, she gave a beaming gaze to Tomoko. Tomoko placed her hands on Asuka's shoulders very slowly, as if she was dealing with defusing a bomb. She looked like she had trouble breathing, as her mouth was slightly agape, and they could see her tilt her head up slightly every time she swallowed, as if she had a knot in her throat. She ran her hands gently down the sides of Asuka's arms from her shoulders before bringing back her hands in front of her own chest and twiddling her fingers anxiously around her nails. They could hear Tomoko say something to Asuka, after which Asuka slowly and thoughtfully removed her jacket, all the while not breaking eye contact with Tomoko once, and placed it beside her.

Nemoto whispered, slightly in disbelief about what she was seeing, and slightly mesmerized, "Tamura-san, what's going on?"

Yuri sat silent, her gaze about the corner intensifying further.

"Tomoko couldn't have meant-" Yuri placed her face over Nemoto's mouth. Nemoto swore that Yuri's eyes were so dilated that she almost had no whites in them left.

Tomoko brought her hands back out, but this time hesitated before placing them on Asuka's shoulders. In response, Asuka slipped her arms around Tomoko's waist, pulling her in suddenly and causing Tomoko's hands to fall forward and glomp over Asuka's-

Yuri stood up and slammed the wall with her fist.

"Tamura-san-don't!"

Tomoko was frozen with a peculiar, yet ecstatic look on her face while it was Asuka realized that Tomoko's friends had followed them, "Ah, we didn't know that this spot was already taken."

When she heard Asuka speak and look over, Tomoko snapped out of it and jumped back. She looked to Nemoto and Yuri, and then back to Asuka, and then again back to Nemoto and Yuri. With her mind in a completely muddled state, she came to a misunderstanding, "Oh, were you guys looking to use this place because you two are going out too?"

"Wait, you and Asuka are going ou-!" Yuri interrupted by throwing her palm over Nemoto's face, "MPHPH!," and shoving her onto the ground, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'TOO?'"


End file.
